Most Improved?

By Richie Ann Ashcraft

This morning my toddler was being a little cuddle bug. It's a rare minute when he'll sit on my lap holding a toy car snuggling his head under my chin while I gently rocked my knee. Needless to say I love it! We were enjoying the moment so much I postponed the drive to work for ten more minutes.
While we sat I watched the TODAY show. They had a segment titled Best Improvements for Moms in the past 20 years or something like that. I'm not finding it offhand on their website but feel free to take a look around.
Basically their list included working from home and redefining the workplace to be family friendly. And of course the gadgets.
The one I agreed with most was the fact that men are so much more involved in their families than they used to be. It think this has to be one of the best things that has ever happened for women these days.
Long gone are the days when men showed up at the hospital, looked at their kid in the nursery, then went to the local pub to hand out cigars.
I think it's awesome that most men want to be a part of their child's birth, helping the mom through labor and helping get breastfeeding started.
I can't imagine not letting my husband experience the birth of his children. I'd feel like he missed one of the most incredible experiences he could ever have. It is definately something to bring a couple together.
On top of that he plays a crucial role in keeping our household functioning. He is just as likely to lay dinner on the table, change a poopy diaper, or kiss a baby boo-boo. It's what is expected of men these days and families are so much stronger for it.
His friends don't think twice about his role as father. Some have opted to let the woman work while the man stays home with the kids. Nobody is looking down on stay-at-home dads anymore.
I'm voting involved dads as the biggest improvement in a mom's life in the past 20 years.
What do you think has improved?